All the Arts, All the Time

Hugh Jackman benefits from Broadway box-office inflation

November 1, 2011 | 6:00
am

Hugh Jackman is back on Broadway this fall in a new concert show that is instructively titled "Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway." For his first week in preview performances, the star racked up an impressive box-office tally of $1.2 million, putting his show in the same league as musical blockbusters such as "Wicked" and "The Book of Mormon."

A close inspection of the figures shows that Jackman is benefiting from a form of box-office inflation tied to unusually high ticket prices for a Broadway production. Tickets for Jackman's show are selling for an average of $136.85, with the most expensive seats going for $350, according to figures provided by the Broadway League. That's more than any other show running on Broadway, with the exception of "The Book of Mormon."

Both Jackman's show and "The Book of Mormon" follow the increasingly common practice on Broadway of charging premium prices for certain days and certain seats in the house. Premium seats are usually centrally located and can be found along the aisles in the orchestra section.

It should also be noted that Jackman's show is still in previews, a period during which productions tend to charge less than top prices because the staging is still being fine-tuned. Opening night for Jackman is set for Nov. 10 at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Jackman's show is a concert-style production in which the star performs songs with an 18-piece orchestra. The show is scheduled to run through Jan. 1.